Page 80 of Warrior's Cross

Cameron stopped so suddenly in the doorway to the kitchen that Keri ran into him and squeaked. He turned to the side, apologizing as the others laughed and paused in the hallway, teasing him about still being asleep.

“It’s not breakfast when you’ve been up all fucking night, Blake,” Julian’s voice answered as soon as the banging stopped. “Did you find the painter’s tape?” he asked in an annoyed voice as he leaned out of the doorway, just ten feet away from Cameron. His eyes were on Blake as he spoke, but when he saw Cameron he seemed to jerk slightly, blinking at him in stunned silence before recovering and moving his eyes back to Blake without any other reaction to Cameron’s presence.

All discussion died off as Julian appeared, drawing everyone’s eyes.

Blake grunted at him and nodded, reaching into his back pocket to extract a roll of blue tape. He tossed it at Julian, muttering about breakfast as he turned and walked into the kitchen, obviously expecting to be followed.

Keri cleared her throat first, being the most accustomed to seeing Julian—besides Cameron, of course. “Good morning,” she greeted him.

The other staff members raggedly joined in with a variety of comments along the same line. All except Cameron, who was looking at anything except Julian.

Julian merely nodded to return their greetings and then disappeared back into the room.

“C’mon, Cam,” Charles said, pulling at his arm. “Let’s get something to eat before Blake works us like dogs.”

“Like usual,” Keri added playfully.

Cameron let them pull him along, making himself look toward the kitchen and not back at Julian. Just that one look at him had set his heart pounding hard enough to make him breathless, and he could feel the pendant under his shirt heavy and warm against his skin.

Blake stood at the end of the large center island, eating a doughnut and scowling at them. “I wouldn’t work my dogs like I work you people,” he told them with a small smile.

Dragging his attention to the bar, Cameron picked through the pastries. “Do you actually have dogs?” he asked distractedly, looking around at the fancy kitchen.

“Only if you count Julian and Preston,” Blake joked with a wink as he poured himself more coffee.

Cameron cleared his throat and reached for the juice as the other restaurant staff started talking and wandering around the house to gawk while they had the chance. He stayed right there. Cameron hadn’t seen Julian even once since that very painful night—not once in three weeks. He squeezed his eyes shut for a short moment. He didn’t want to dwell on how much he was hurting.

“Cameron?” Blake asked softly as soon as the others had begun to wander. “Are you okay?”

“I... I didn’t know he’d be here,” Cameron said softly, not looking up from his juice.

“Who?” Blake asked in confusion.

“Julian.”

Blake glanced at the kitchen door with a frown. Just beyond, the banging started again, perhaps a little louder now than it had been. “I don’t understand,” Blake admitted as he looked back at Cameron.

Cameron swallowed. Obviously Julian hadn’t said anything to Blake. “We’re not... together anymore,” he murmured, poking at the half doughnut in front of him.

Blake inclined his chin and gave a small, “Oh.” He was silent for a moment before shaking his head. “I’m sorry. He hadn’t said anything to me,” he offered. “I wouldn’t have accepted your offer to help if I’d known.” He hesitated for a moment, something Blake wasn’t apt to do.

“Would you like Preston to take you home?” he asked uncertainly.

Tilting his head toward the continued banging, Cameron sighed and shook his head. “No. He knows I’m here. I expect we’ll do fine avoiding each other.” He picked up his juice. “Especially if he keeps banging on the wall like that.”

“That’s not the wall,” Blake responded with a wince. “That’s my ten-thousand-dollar billiards table,” he explained.

Cameron’s head jerked up and his eyes widened. “Uh.” He glanced in that direction. He’d seen Julian lose his temper only once, and even then the man had regained it with remarkable speed. What in God’s name was hedoingin there? “Wouldyoulike Preston to take me home?” he asked awkwardly.

Blake smiled and shook his head. “I need all the help I can get. Besides,” he sighed regretfully, “he’s not abusing the furniture because of you.” He gave Cameron a sad shake of his head. “He’s just trying to take the damn thing apart.”

Cameron bit his tongue to keep from asking the most obvious question; why did taking it apart require quite such vehemence? But Julian’s state of mind wasn’t his business anymore. “What will we start with?” he asked instead, gesturing around.

“We cleared the front rooms earlier; we start there,” Blake answered in a slightly more businesslike tone as he gestured for Cameron to follow him out of the kitchen toward the front of the house again. “We’re three rooms behind you, Cross,” he called into the game room as he passed. “Double time it!”

“I’m going to find creative things to do with this boot if you don’t shut up,” Julian responded calmly from where he sat under the pool table. He was taking it apart, piece by piece, and there were envelopes full of documents scattered around he seemed to be placing inside the table itself before patching it back up.

Cameron tried to ignore what looked like a very suspicious scene and instead glanced to Blake, mouthing a questioning, “Boot?”

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